Installed UEL headers, should I avoid the dealership for service?
 

So I installed a set of UEL catless headers recently, and I really do love them. I haven't flashed a tune or anything just yet, so my CEL is on and the headers just make the car sound really nice- nothing else.

My question is in regards to the dealer and the vehicle's warranty. Should I avoid the dealership for normal service (oil changes, etc) if I have the headers installed? I understand that the modifications themselves will not void the warranty, though the dealer can refuse to go through with a claim if they can link the modification to the issue.

I've tried searching around and all, but I haven't found anything specific. Any advice is appreciated!

No. I mean it wouldn't hurt, but keep in mind you can always go to another dealership.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish with this?

If you want to keep your warranty as intact as possible with maximum possibility of filing and getting claims for warranty coverage, don't mod your car.

If you mod your car, at some point you have to take ownership of your mods and what it can and can't do to your car from a repair perspective. If you mod, you have to start accepting that your mods may impact you in a large financial way, if the dealer doesn't go to bat for you.

You can avoid the dealer all you want but 1) you are under no obligation to do service with them unless you paid for some extended warranty with specific wording, 2) your mods will have zero impact on your warranty, it just makes it more difficult to build a successful claim case if you just randomly show up with an issue to claim.

Just because you avoid them doesn't mean you are at less risk of warranty claim denial.

-alex

So let's say something goes wrong with the vehicle that's completely unrelated to the mods that I've done and I take the car in for a warranty claim. Would the dealership note that I've done work to the headers so if something goes wrong they have it in their records?

if in that case put your stock header on and if u have the OFT, flash it back to the stock tune before taking it in for warranty work

Depends on your dealer. I had a piston come apart on my Ford Ranger, at 59,900 miles, with a 60,000 mile warranty. It was very clear that i had pulled the engine, and detailed the heck out of it, moved wiring, etc., and the dealer not only replaced the block, head, etc., but let me pickup the reassembled engine, so I could have it repainted to match.

It all depends on your dealer.

I guess I have to ask: what are you trying to hide?

If you know what you are doing and take ownership of your mods, you have nothing to worry about.

If you don't want to sit there and go back and forth with the dealer, either 1) build a good relationship and understanding with them about what you are doing with your car and what you want them to help on, or 2) go about putting things back to stock whenever you have something broken on the car.

The good dealer knows a business opportunity when they see it, and a good car owner will know when to not make a claim if it's possible the mod caused the failure.

I never had any issues with mods on cars, but I also don't try to deceive the dealer when it comes to disclosing information that may impact their ability to make a proper judgment call on claims.

So, all depends on how much you are willing to spend out of pocket to repair things.

-alex